This week begins our month-long Back-to-School theme. And I couldn’t think of a better way to kick it off than with a personalized children’s book from Custom Made for Kids!

When the mamas at Custom Made for Kids contacted us, I was anxious to get a peek at their award-winning book, “The First Adventures of Incredible You”. I was reeheeheally hoping that this would be a stunner of a personalized storybook, unlike the many others I’d run across over the years that looked way too much like the ones they were making when I was a kid. You know the ones - cheesy plot, text looks like it was entered on a typewriter (you remember what those are, right?), even cheesier illustrations? In fact after our son was born, I was so disappointed with the options, that we went for one that required us to write responses in ourselves!

Well Sarah and Sarah did not disappoint! These mamas, along with their fabulous illustrator, have created a book that is not only well written, but beautifully illustrated. The customizations flow seamlessly into the story, and your little guy or gal is going to feel like this book was written especially for them…and it was! By answering a few questions during the online ordering process (a breeze, by the way), it becomes a story that’s filled with the people, places and things that are special and unique to your child. And it’s such a wonderful story about childhood experiences…it will quickly become one of your most read books.

“The First Adventures of Incredible You” is one of the best gift ideas I’ve seen in a long time. The recipient will be tickled to death to receive such a wonderful keepsake. My mother-in-law could not put it down, and we’ve read it to my son I don’t know how many times (even though it’s about his baby sister! Yes, we’re going to be ordering him his own…). In our house, it’s what we call a ‘keeper’…we’ll treasure, appreciate and share it for a long, long time (I get a bit teary thinking about them reading it to their own rugrats someday *sniff*). Still not sure you wanna take my word on it? Cruise on over and take your own personalized Virtual Tour!

TML readers receive 15% off! Just enter code ‘custom15′ during check-out.

Mamasigners : Sarah Headrick and Sarah Rivera :: www.custommadeforkids.com

This past year has definitely been the year of personalized jewelry for me. It was my sister-in-laws’ fault. After babygirl was born, she surprised me with a hollymarie Silver Name Necklace. It has both of my children’s names, birthstones and birth dates, and I adore it. I wear it all the time, and I just love that I have my rugrats on a necklace without it screaming ‘monogrammed’. It was the beginning of a quest to find jewelry that was personalized in some way, some UNDERSTATED way. I love things that have special meaning, without being blatant.

Along the way I’ve found some talented Mamasigners that make fabulous personalized items. Bella Button Designs was my gifts go-to this past Christmas…in fact I just ordered more of her Soldered Glass Personalized Picture Ornaments (having all of our previous Christmas cards done!). I’ve also loved Pink Papillon. Her Hand-Stamped Jewelry Charm Tags came in handy when I wanted to personalize a Baby’s First Christmas ornament, and this summer I’ve been wearing and loving her Custom Hand-Stamped Anklet…use your kiddos names, or do what I did and use a special phrase. I haven’t taken it off since it arrived - pool, beach, shower, bath, hot tub…it’s a permanent fixture!

But my big find this month is The Pretty Peacock. Ana and her designs tickle me on many different levels. The most obvious being the beauty of her pieces. They’re the essence of beautiful, but at the same time have a definite organic feel. I initially ran across her gorgeous Family Bracelet, and was just wowed. It’s fine silver, has a gorgeous stone of your choice embedded in it, and on the back it’s personalized with your family’s names. I adore that I’m wearing a phenomenal-looking piece of jewelry, knowing that it has such special meaning added to it. Many of Ana’s pieces will be perfect for those that love the idea of personalized jewelry, but don’t necessarily want to go around wearing text ; ). But if you want it out there, she has that too!

The other thing that I love about The Pretty Peacock is that Ana purchases her metals from companies that use eco-friendly means of refinement, AND she sends all of her scraps for refinement so that there is no waste! Tickles the green in me.

Ana’s shop is going to prove to be a sore point with hubby, I’m afraid, as my wishlist is a mile long…. Her pieces are guaranteed to provoke reaction (mostly of the ‘oooh’ and ‘aaah’ variety), and they just FEEL good! And I just love this: “My goal is to create beautiful, memorable treasures and make them as Earth conscious as possible. Responsible luxury.” That’s what I’m talking about.

TML readers receive free shipping any order! Just enter ‘Mama Log’ in the Notes to Seller at check-out, and make sure to wait for a revised invoice before paying!

Mamasigner : Ana Simpson :: www.theprettypeacock.com

Sweet treats are a bit of trouble, aren’t they? Especially chocolate (or anything dipped, covered, smothered or coated in it). It’s a problem. I love It, and It loves to make my scale squawk at me. Regardless, I still have to have it, though I am picky about the quality. Hey, if I have to work it off later, it better be worth it, right?

One of my many chocolate-covered downfalls are those gigundous gourmet caramel apples. You know, the “Have some apple with your nuts-and-marshmallows-and-coconut-and-threedifferentkindsofchocolate” variety? But they’re hard to come by where we live (which is probably a good thing), and so I was extremely glad to find Double Dipped Sweets (maybe too much of a good thing!)!

Krista has come up with a huge variety of tasty concoctions…who knew an apple could be dressed so many ways? There are many to choose from, and you can even come up with your own combination, but luckily these are priced nicely so you can try a few if you’re having trouble choosing *wink wink*. I have to HIGHLY recommend the Almond Joy Caramel Apple…just the name has you drooling right? I was so impressed with the massive amount of caramel and chocolate on this masterpiece o’ dessert apples, and talk about delicious! She uses only the best ingredients, and it shows.

Your apples will be packaged carefully and shipped quickly. And Krista also offers Gourmet Popcorn and other dipped yummies. We tried her Caramel Popcorn, and it tastes just like homemade! For all of her goodies, you have a plethora of choices for toppings and chocolates…anything your sweet (and salty!) tooth desires.

Looking for a gift? Krista has several great options, including gift baskets and wrapping, but my favorite has to be the Chocoholics Anonymous Chocolate of the Month Club. Available in 3, 6 and 12-month memberships, not only do you receive your monthly fix, but you also get exclusive membership benefits! What chocolate-lover wouldn’t love to receive that?

Krista is a fabulous WAHM that is more than happy to help you with your order. She loves concocting, so don’t be scared to tell her what your sweet tooth is screaming at you for!

TML readers receive 15% off on any order! Just enter ‘TML’ in the Notes to Seller at check-out, and Krista will refund your discount amount!

Mamasigner : Krista Loertscher
:: www.doubledippedsweets.com

Psst…just to push you over the edge, Double Dipped Sweets is celebrating Christmas in July…she has a bunch of goodies on sale (including my favorite…YIPEEEEEEE!).

Car seats. Gotta love ‘em ’cause they keep our rugrats safe, but boy once they’re installed, we like to keep them that way, right? But then comes the inevitable diaper explosion, or a mischevious toddler dumping his milk (ew) all over him, or *gasp* an unfortunate tummy bug incident. Then you have to uninstall the seat, remove the harness (after you’ve dug the directions out to remind yourself how to do it…AGAIN), and remove the soiled cover. Which leaves you without a seat until you can get the cover cleaned and air-dryed (in most cases). And this is all if you’re lucky enough for it to happen near home! Nothing worse than a car seat cleaning issue when you’re on the road away from your trusty washing machine.

Over the past few years, several designers have come out with what I love to call a ‘duvet’ for the manufacturers’ seat covers, in answer to the many mamas out there screaming “There must be an easier way!”. And they’ve definitely improved from the non-waterproof version we bought for our son 5 years ago. But we at The Mama Log did a TON of research, searched high and low for the perfect cover. Our requirements? The cover had to be soft and comfortable, waterproof (hello??!! cover is not so helpful if the ooky stuff leaks through it!), easy to install, easy to clean and darn it, it needed to be cute. Only one met these standards…the Lilly Pad!

We have put the Lilly Pad through some pretty rigorous testing. First test? Cute factor. A+! We have the Butterfly Gardens, and everyone has just oohed and aahed over it. Especially nice for those of us that have a girl but don’t want a screaming pink seat cover in our car. Second test…comfort. The material is so incredibly soft…we’ve noticed our mini-testers purposely rubbing their faces and hands on it. Third, installation…a breeze! We went straight to the extremely helpful video, and had no problems at all. In fact we were able to install it on subsequent seats without even referring to it again. Waterproof? You betcha! We dumped some water on it just to give it a test-drive, and not a drop went through. And finally, cleaning couldn’t be easier. It’s machine-washable and dryable, and comes out beautifully.

We tried the Lilly Pad on several different seats. All were Britax models (Galaxy, Marathon, Roundabout), but one of our testers said she knew it would fit her Graco based on how it was fitting on these. The site says it should fit most 5-point-harness seats, and we agree.

Heidi, the mamasigner behind Lilly Pad, is not only one talented mama, but she’s extremely helpful and great to work with. If you’re not sure about your seat, have a question about color or installation, just shoot her an email!

And back to our cleaning scenario. The best part about this cover? YOU DON’T HAVE TO UNINSTALL YOUR SEAT (OR THE HARNESS) TO PUT ON OR REMOVE THE COVER! It’s truly ‘easy on, easy off’…a dream come true!

TML readers receive free shipping on any order! Just enter “mamalog” during check-out. Offer good through the end of August.

Mamasigner : Heidi Humber :: www.lillypadcompany.com

We have a winner! Congratulations to Debra from Maryland…we know you’ll adore your new VMJess Camera Strap and Jimmy Pickles Wristlet Keychain.

And now to announce our next giveaway. Any chance you have a young one with a birthday coming up? If so, how about an Itsy Bitsy Bunny Personalized Party Hat and personalized matching t-shirt?!

The winner of this months’ giveaway will work directly with Christy to choose the fabrics, embroidery and t-shirt color to coordinate with the birthday gal or guy’s party theme!

To enter this month’s drawing, simply shoot us an email and tell us about your favorite mama-made find! Tell us all about it and the creative mama who made it…we love to hear about fabulous mamasigners, and we’re dying to hear about your fave (maybe they’ll be featured here on TML!).

And now for the fine print. The Hat and T-Shirt will be shipped 2 weeks from the time your order is finalized. US and international entries are eligible, and all responses must be received by midnight (EST) Friday, August 1. Winner must respond within 5 days of notification, otherwise we will need to choose another winner.

Good luck!

After receiving a bunch of emails asking about what we did for our ladybug-themed birthday party for Her Royal Birthdayness, we decided it would be fun to share some of the fun things we came up with (since most were mama-made!). We also had a few mamas (and grandmamas!) write in to ask about gift and toy ideas for one-year-olds. And we’re happy to help!

Two of the cutest items that were a part of the big day were featured previously…our Itsy Bitsy Bunny Personalized Party Hat, and liliputians NYC Birthday Outfit. Both of these, I have to say, received tons of ‘ooooh’s’ and ‘aaah’s’. Everyone got in on the fun of trying to keep the hat on the birthday girl, just because it was so adorable to see it perched on her wee head (of course, she had other ideas…she thought it made a fabulous toy!). And watching her in that skirt was just a riot…it’s perfect for bum-shaking (she’s recently discovered dancing)!

We found ladybug plates, napkins and balloons at EZPartyZone.com. Cutest print I’d found after tons of shopping around both local shops and the internet, and they shipped everything lickety-splity…excellent service.

The invitations and cake were mama-made…by me! I managed to go nuts and make yet another crazy cake that, like her brother, she’ll never remember. But it made for the best of covered-in-icing birthday pictures. I had scoured the internet for ideas on making a ladybug cake, and basically combined my favorite aspects of different ideas that I’d found. In a nutshell, I made a chocolate sheet cake from an old family recipe for the “grass”, then using half of the Wilton Sports Ball Pan Set for the body and the Mini Wonder Mold for the head, made the ladybug (went easy on myself for that and just used a yellow cake mix). I was pleased with how it turned out, and baby girl’s eyes lit up when she saw that big ole ladybug in front of her…worth all of the effort!

For gifts, baby girl was surely spoiled. She was lucky enough to receive a Sleepy Snoozle, and boy does she love to snuggle it! Sleepy Snoozles are weighted, Waldorf-style bunting dolls, made out of the most luxuriously soft fabric. They weigh over 2 lbs., and I know will bring years of dolly-playing enjoyment…they feel like a baby in your arms! I love that you can remove the weighted portion for easy cleaning of the rest of the doll, AND you can heat it in the microwave for a nice, warm and snuggly doll on cold nights. When ordering, you’re able to choose bunting color, skin tone and customized facial features. Definitely something to treasure and pass on to the next generation…incredibly made!

We found her the most adorable Ladybug Tote from Alma’s Designs. She was so tickled by the mama ladybug and her 4 little babies, and it doubled as a terrific decoration for the party (we hung it from the chandelier over the dining room). Our two big splurges were the Radio Flyer Classic Walker Wagon (not mama-made, but worth a mention…we hear she’ll get years of use out of it, and she loves to push it around already!) and a gorgeous bracelet from one of my favorite designers, Siren Jewels. Since her birthstone is the pearl, it was just the perfect thing.

All in all, a giant of a first birthday. As I think all parents do, we’re still in a bit of shock that her first year has already passed. And when I think of how it seems it was just yesterday that we were celebrating my now 5 (and a half! I hear ya, buddy) year-old’s first birthday, it makes me sniffle a bit to realize how even more quickly these upcoming years will go. Keep them young as long as we can, I say….

Hope you’ve enjoyed our birthday month…thanks for celebrating with us!

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Love the Sleepy Snoozle featured in the birthday wrap-up? So do we! Mandy is the mama behind Snoozle Baby, an online boutique that not only features her own handmade lovelies like the Sleepy Snoozle, but other play-time items, baby carriers and accessories, clothing and natural bath and body products! Mandy’s shop focuses on organic, natural materials, and has a growing section of ‘Going Green!’ items. We love that, too!

TML readers receive 5% off all orders! Just enter the code “THEMAMALOG” at check-out. Code expires 8.5.07.

Mamasigner : Mandy O’Brien :: www.snoozlebaby.com

Just a quick note to our readers and newsletter subscribers. It’s come to our attention that most (if not all) of our Hotmail subscribers haven’t been receiving their weekly TML newsletters, along with quite a few Yahoo Mail users. Please make sure and check your bulk/spam box, as the newsletters are getting caught in the Hotmail/Yahoo filters (and that goes for anyone else who signed up for our newsletter and hasn’t had the pleasure of reading one yet!). And add us to your address book so you’re sure to get your newsletter every week…wouldn’t want you to miss out on any special discounts, sale scoop or giveaways!

We’ll have not only one, but two newsletters going out this week (too much exciting stuff going on for just one!), so we wanted to get this announcement out as soon as possible.

And as always, feel free to email me with any questions.

Let the party begin! And no birthday is complete without a good ole, cone-shaped birthday hat, right? But we all know that inevitably the hats get smooshed, or covered in icing, and that the one hat you really meant to save for your little one’s memory box just never got saved from the fray. Enter Itsy Bitsy Bunny Personalized Party Hats!

If I haven’t mentioned it already, baby girl’s birthday theme is ladybugs. So I trekked around all of my favorite haunts for fabulous ladybug party goodies, toys and keepsakes. When I ran across one of Christy’s wonderful hats during my search, I just knew it would look adorable perched atop my wee girl’s head for her big day.

And I was right! But not only are they adorable, but the quality is AMAZING. Everything is machine sewn…no glue! The appliqué and embroidery work are beautifully done. And not only can you personalize the hat with your birthday gal or guy’s name, but you can choose the style of appliqué (number, cupcake or initial), and mix-and-match the different types of embellishments she has available.

Have a specific theme you need to match? We lucked-out with this ladybug hat that was already available to order and customize, but if you don’t see something in her shop that goes along with your theme, just shoot her an email!

I’m so excited for baby girl to wear her special hat…talk about Kodak moments! And what an incredibly cute keepsake…I plan on getting one of these lovelies for each of her next few birthdays (basically for as long as she’ll let me!). I only wish we could’ve had an Itsy Bitsy Bunny hat for my son when he was younger. But the way he’s been eyeballing his baby sister’s hat, I may just get him in a big-boy version for his next birthday. What kiddo doesn’t like a special hat for their most favorite day of the year?

TML readers receive 10% off all orders! Just enter the code “MAMALOG” at check-out.

Mamasigner : Christy :: itsybitsybunny.etsy.com (by the end of the summer, you can find them at their very own website, www.itsybitsybunny.com!

I’m a bit of a home-fragrancing nut. Fragrance lamps, tarts, sprays, candles…. And what’s a birthday without candles?

The hands-down strongest, most uniquely scented candles I’ve ever come across are from Sweet Scents Candle Co. Barbie, the founder and owner of SSC, does not mess around when it comes to candles. In fact, she likens the experience of enjoying her candles to wine tasting:

“If you approach candles as you would wine tasting, you will understand Sweet Scents… you will notice that at first you gravitate toward the sweeter fragrances, and as your nose develops, you will want to experiment with the more earthy and unusual fragrances. We take a different approach than the usual manufacturer …in order to entertain and train your olfactory sense and enhance the ambiance around you.”

There are several things I adore about these phenomenal candles. For one, the scent throw - it’s simply amazing, particularly in the triple-wicked Platinum Tins (my fave). Secondly, the materials: these candles don’t have metal wicks (they’re imported all-paper wicks), and she uses the finest of fragrance oils and fully-refined, food-grade waxes. And last but not least, presentation: Sweet Scents Candles are simply beautiful. They don’t do elaborate packaging, but rather keep the candles and their containers simple-but-elegant, with the focus being on the strength and uniqueness of scent.

So take a trip over to SSC…with scents like Mascarpone Tart & Pistachios, Latin Beauty and Cocoa Leaves, your nose is sure to thank you. And don’t worry, Barbie and the gang are happy to make scent recommendations, which is particularly helpful for gift-giving (or getting!). And make sure to read the ‘About Us’ page…it’s full of interesting information, and not just about candles - you’ll find a link to Barbie’s inspiring adoption story of her two gorgeous girls!

Mamasigner : Barbie Smith :: www.sweetscentscandles.com

I can’t believe it…my baby girl is turning one this month. And I know I’m not the only mama out here that goes a bit overboard for 1st birthdays (if you could see the cake I decorated for my son…truly silly, for something he’ll never remember). So this month our features will be all about birthday-related goodies, in honor of my little lass and all of the little ones out there celebrating first birthdays this year!

Now you and I both know that along with all of the fun things that make up a 1st birthday party, towards the top of the list is the birthday outfit. What will the little rugrat wear when she’s getting her pictures taken with her gifts (that she’s not old enough to open on her own so Mommy will be frantically opening them like it’s HER birthday while keeping baby engaged in the process for the ever-important pictures and thank yous…)? With all of the various family and friends there to celebrate such a milestone? With her special birthday meal? And of course, what will she be wearing for the infamous dive into her 1st birthday cake? *drumroll*…..A liliputians NYC Birthday Outfit!

I was so tickled to find liliputians. Heather, the owner and mamasigner behind this wonderful children’s boutique (based out of NYC, baby!), has created the most adorable, customized birthday shirts and outfits. And I have to say that I love featuring mamas like Heather (and the other fabulous mamasigners we’ve featured here)…such an inspiration. To take an idea, inspired by her then baby daughter, and turn it into a full-time venture, it’s what many moms are striving for. In Heather’s case, she’s created a unique niche for herself that has turned into a successful, upscale, children’s boutique line. And a fabulous one at that!

These shirts and outfits are so much fun! Each shirt is beautifully appliquéd, and you have the choice of purchasing the coordinating bottom. All items are limited editions, a few are even one-of-a-kind! Everything is so well-made and designed…you can tell these items were created with love and care. With tons of choices for girls and several totally handsome choices for boys (love the Surfing Birthday Outfit!), you’re sure to find something that matches your baby’s personality, or maybe even your birthday theme!

Needless to say, Heather’s fabric combinations were perfecto for my love of vivid, bright colors and funky prints for baby girl (I’ll save you the non-pink-froofroo rant this time)…she has a terrific eye for style and color.(And these outfits aren’t just for the sippy-cup bunch…everything runs up to a size 8, and I even spied a few Mommy items)

Now granted, these are so cute that you *may* not want to have baby wear it for cake-diving (though they are machine washable and dryer-friendly), but that’s when it’s time to break-out the real birthday suit anyway, right?

TML readers receive 10% off all orders! Just enter the code “MAMALOG” at check-out. Good through 8.31.08.

Mamasigner : Heather Flottmann :: www.liliputians-nyc.com